San Diego Padres Daily Farm Report: July 25

Salt Lake Bees 8, Chihuahuas 7 (10 innings)

Key Statistics: LHP Omar Cruz, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 7 K; CF Jose Azocar, 3-for-5, HR (3), 2 R, RBI; C Brett Sullivan, 2-for-4, 2 R, BB; LF Tirso Ornelas, 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI, BB

Prospect Watch: Omar Cruz made waves in his first start for El Paso, striking out seven batters in five innings of work. If the name is familiar to Padres fans, it’s because the Padres originally signed the 25-year-old southpaw in the summer of 2017 and he was part of the deal that landed Joe Musgrove from Pittsburgh. He was reacquired last December in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. Cruz has a 3.72 ERA and has maintained the 35% strikeout rate he posted in San Antonio in four appearances since being promoted to El Paso. The lefty showed off his changeup Thursday, getting eight whiffs on 15 swings and inducing three grounders with an exit velocity under 70 mph with it. … Jose Azocar hit his third home run of the week as part of a three-hit evening at the top of the order. The 28-year-old outfielder is slashing .287/.323/.471 in 87 at-bats in El Paso since being sent down by the Padres. … Another part-time Padre, Brett Sullivan went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a walk. The 30-year-old catcher is batting .275 with 12 home runs and an .878 OPS in 233 at-bats for the Chihuahuas this year. In parts of three seasons in El Paso, he’s struck out just 12% of the time. … Tirso Ornelas continued his best season, going 2-for-4 with a double. The 24-year-old outfielder is batting .311 with a .905 OPS in 2024, including a 1.025 OPS this month.

Missions 2, Midland RockHounds 0

Key Statistics: RHP Victor Lizarraga (W, 4-5), 7 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K; LHP Jason Blanchard (S, 1), 1.1 IP, 2 K; CF Connor Hollis, 1-for-4, RBI; C Brandon Valenzuela, 1-for-3, RBI

Prospect Watch: The story of the night out of Midland was the stellar performance of Victor Lizarraga, who held the host RockHounds to two hits in seven innings of work. It took the righty only 83 pitches to cruise through seven frames, striking out eight. Lizarraga is still very much a name to keep an eye on, as he owns a 3.78 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 78.2 innings of work in Double-A at the age of 20. Subscribers can read more about how the righty from San Diego has been able to take a step forward this year. … Jason Blanchard has made 84 professional appearances going back to 2019, yet Thursday’s was only the third save of the lefty’s career and first of the season. The 27-year-old struck out a pair of batters while holding Midland scoreless in a four-out appearance. The 2019 ninth-rounder out of Lamar is 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 41 innings this year. … Getting the start in center field, Connor Hollis went 1-for-4 with an RBI. The 29-year-old utility player owns a .608 OPS in 193 at-bats in an injury-plagued 2024. … Brandon Valenzuela also logged a single and plated a run. The switch-hitting catcher has cooled off after a .924 OPS in June, posting a .612 mark in July thus far.

Dayton Dragons 4, TinCaps 3

Key Statistics: LHP Jagger Haynes, 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 9 K, 3 BB; RHP Dwayne Matos, 1.2 IP, 1 H; LHP Jackson Smeltz 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (0 ER), 4 K; RF Joshua Mears, 2-for-4, LF Nick Vogt, 2-for-5, 2 RBI, R;

Prospect Watch: The TinCaps committed five errors and left eight men on base as they dropped their fifth straight. Even has his team struggled, 2020 fifth-round pick Jagger Haynes showed off his dynamic stuff, striking out nine batters in five innings of work. Haynes did walk three and allowed a pair of earned runs on four hits, working his pitch count up to 91. He’s struggled with command, walking 47 in 74 innings, but overall has trended up in a 2024 season that has finally seen him unleashed after injuries prevented him from making his professional debut until 2023. The 21-year-old southpaw has struck out 70 and held opponents to a .229 average this season. … Dwayne Matos continued a stellar July with five outs of one-hit ball. The righty owns a 1.50 ERA in six appearances in the month, striking out three while walking one in six innings. … Singles may not normally be Joshua Mears‘ style, but the slugging outfielder did post his first two-hit game since June 20. July has been far kinder to Mears than the first two months of his season as the former second-round pick has logged a .712 OPS in 41 at-bats for the month. … Nick Vogt went 2-for-5 and drove in a pair of runs as the outfielder continues to adjust to High-A pitching. The 2022 seventh-rounder owns a .688 OPS in 16 games since being promoted to Fort Wayne after posting a .760 mark for Lake Elsinore.

Storm 5, Visalia Rawhide 4 (10 innings)

Key Statistics: RHP Eric Yost 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 K, 2 BB; LHP Harry Gustin, 2 IP, 1 H, 3 K; RHP Alejandro Lugo, 1 IP, 1 K; DH Leodalis De Vries, 2-for-3, HR (9), 2 R, RBI, 2 BB; RF Jacob Campbell, 2-for-4, R, RBI

Prospect Watch: The Storm rallied back and took a win in extra innings thanks in large part to some solid performances out of the bullpen. Lefty Harry Gustin delivered two innings of one-hit ball, striking out three batters to keep Lake Elsinore in the game. Gustin, a 2023 18th-rounder out of Hawaii, has posted a 4.24 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 40.1 innings of work in a multi-inning relief role. … The win went to Alejandro Lugo, who pitched a perfect 10th inning to set up his offense for the walk-off. The 21-year-old native of Maracay, Venezuela originally signed all the way back in 2018, but between the pandemic year and a 2022 drug suspension, he didn’t make his stateside debut until last last year. He has posted a 2.97 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 30.1 innings of work in a season that was interrupted by a month-long stint on the IL. … The big story, of course, was Leodalis De Vries, who has made his presence known of late. The top infield prospect hit a home run and scored a pair of runs while also working two walks. De Vries is slashing .333/.452/.754 with eight home runs in 69 at-bats this month, pushing his production for the season up to 17% above league average. …. Jacob Campbell smacked a pair of singles, including a ball through a drawn-in infield to drive in the winning runrun. The 24-year-old is slashing .277/.372/.385 in 65 July at-bats for Lake Elsinore.

ACL Padres 2, ACL Royals 0 (7 innings)

Key Statistics: RHP Humberto Cruz IP, H, K; RHP Bryan Balzer, 2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K; LHP Zack Qin, 2 IP, 2 BB, 1 K; 1B Lamar King Jr., 1-for-3, 2 RBI; RF Kashon Conliffe, 2-for-3, 2B;

Prospect Watch: The complex league Padres won in their season finale as five pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout. Your humble author has many fond memories of covering rookie-level action in person in Arizona, and I have to admit, of the many foolish changes MLB made to the minor leagues in this decade, “Arizona Complex League” stands as a totem to incompetence, a monument to hubris, and a beacon to everything that is wrong with the head office of this beautiful game. But back to the action, the Padres allowed only two hits in seven innings. Humberto Cruz, who was the Padres’ number two player behind De Vries in this year’s international free agent class, made his second professional appearance, allowing one hit and recording a strikeout. The 17-year-old out of Mexico is already up to 97 with his fastball. … Bryan Balzer followed with two no-hit innings of relief. The 19-year-old Balzer, a native of Yokosuka, Japan, is technically still on the 60-day IL as he works back from injury, posting a 6.43 ERA in the desert in seven innings of work in his first professional season. The dual-national righty had Tommy John surgery soon after signing as a free agent in 2023. … Balzer was relieved by Zack Qin, who also threw two no-hit innings. The 6-foot-1 southpaw shined while working back from a minor injury this spring. In his second tour of duty in Peoria, the 19-year-old posted a 0.82 ERA and struck out 14 batters in 11 innings pitched in 2024. … Lamar King Jr. made his first defensive appearance of the year, logging five innings at first base. After undergoing offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder, the catcher has been limited to receiving pitches in bullpens and playing at DH in games. The 20-year-old backstop went 1-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in to end his season with an .817 OPS in 120 at-bats. … The only extra-base hit for the Padres was a double off the bat of Kashon Conliffe. The Bahamian outfielder went 2-for-3 to finish his first season in the U.S. with a .193 average and .597 OPS in 140 at-bats. The speedy 19-year-old has shown premium speed and exciting tools, but struggled with pitch recognition on his way to a 29% strikeout rate.